STRUM & SING
|
|
Strum & Sing as a Developmental Approach to Learning to Make Music
Is Talent Real? And...is That Really the Point?
So many of us these days love music...but we do not necessarily think of ourselves as "musical" or "talented." But do we actually know what we would be capable of, given an opportunity to learn and practice? And even if we are never going to win a popularity contest, is that what's important about making music? When we allow the world of pop culture, reality T.V. and star-powered singing contests to define our musical potential, we give away agency over one of our most natural forms of communication, the most powerful one in fact. The human voice. We deprive ourselves of the power and joy of making music, all over a matter of winning or losing. It boils down to pride. What good is pride when it steals our joy?
At GITC, we think pride is a pest. From day one, we show it the door and help beginners stop limiting themselves musically. Far better to have a sense of humor and open up to the possibility we might even sound good one day! In the meantime, we can start making music a regular part of life to let our feelings out, to unwind, to celebrate special occasions, to blow off steam, or relax, and to join with others in singing uplifting songs. Every person, at every age, should feel encouraged to pick up a drum or a guitar at a party or camp out and lead a favorite tune - or to share songs in our own families- without fear of being judged or teased. Guitars in the Classroom establishes this culture of natural, shared music in classrooms. Kids embrace it readily. And teachers quickly get over their hesitation and begin playing and singing their hearts out because our methods are developmentally sequenced for all learners.
This is why we keep things simple. To strum and to sing is a wonderful thing. Maybe it's the beginning of something bigger, and maybe not. Maybe it's enough just to let the music in, to get pretty good at the basics, and to give music a vibrant and engaging role in elementary learning. We help teachers and students build a strong musical foundation. We encourage them to keep learning and growing beyond the basics. There are so many other places people can do that. What GITC supplies is musical readiness and a positive beginning. We are proud of this. Pride in and of itself isn't a bad thing, after all.
So many of us these days love music...but we do not necessarily think of ourselves as "musical" or "talented." But do we actually know what we would be capable of, given an opportunity to learn and practice? And even if we are never going to win a popularity contest, is that what's important about making music? When we allow the world of pop culture, reality T.V. and star-powered singing contests to define our musical potential, we give away agency over one of our most natural forms of communication, the most powerful one in fact. The human voice. We deprive ourselves of the power and joy of making music, all over a matter of winning or losing. It boils down to pride. What good is pride when it steals our joy?
At GITC, we think pride is a pest. From day one, we show it the door and help beginners stop limiting themselves musically. Far better to have a sense of humor and open up to the possibility we might even sound good one day! In the meantime, we can start making music a regular part of life to let our feelings out, to unwind, to celebrate special occasions, to blow off steam, or relax, and to join with others in singing uplifting songs. Every person, at every age, should feel encouraged to pick up a drum or a guitar at a party or camp out and lead a favorite tune - or to share songs in our own families- without fear of being judged or teased. Guitars in the Classroom establishes this culture of natural, shared music in classrooms. Kids embrace it readily. And teachers quickly get over their hesitation and begin playing and singing their hearts out because our methods are developmentally sequenced for all learners.
This is why we keep things simple. To strum and to sing is a wonderful thing. Maybe it's the beginning of something bigger, and maybe not. Maybe it's enough just to let the music in, to get pretty good at the basics, and to give music a vibrant and engaging role in elementary learning. We help teachers and students build a strong musical foundation. We encourage them to keep learning and growing beyond the basics. There are so many other places people can do that. What GITC supplies is musical readiness and a positive beginning. We are proud of this. Pride in and of itself isn't a bad thing, after all.
It's one thing to help children become musical people. Given a uke or guitar, a simple method, fun songs and some encouragement, they learn quickly and easily. But we grown ups tend to suffer from being self-critical. Teachers are particularly demanding of themselves. So GITC's job is to release that inner critic, calm that stern task master, and open the door to creativity.
As adults we can only learn to sing and play through ways that help us relax, bond with our group, and support us to take small steps at a gentle pace. Then we can overcome fear of failure and begin to enjoy taking creative risks! This is how GITC helps teachers and school staff members to become musicians in adulthood. We use an adapted version of the SmartStart Guitar method and the SmartStart Ukulele Method, designed by GITC's founder and executive director, Jessica Baron. Our classes break musical learning down to small achievable skills that are taught in ways people learn the best, wedded the academic content and skills for teaching grade school. We begin in Hawaiian open tuning and progress gradually to standard tuning as people's finger and hand-eye coordination develop. We strum, we play simplified chords and from day one, we sing, sing, sing!
Want to visit a GITC classroom to strum and sing with us? Please drop us a line!
As adults we can only learn to sing and play through ways that help us relax, bond with our group, and support us to take small steps at a gentle pace. Then we can overcome fear of failure and begin to enjoy taking creative risks! This is how GITC helps teachers and school staff members to become musicians in adulthood. We use an adapted version of the SmartStart Guitar method and the SmartStart Ukulele Method, designed by GITC's founder and executive director, Jessica Baron. Our classes break musical learning down to small achievable skills that are taught in ways people learn the best, wedded the academic content and skills for teaching grade school. We begin in Hawaiian open tuning and progress gradually to standard tuning as people's finger and hand-eye coordination develop. We strum, we play simplified chords and from day one, we sing, sing, sing!
Want to visit a GITC classroom to strum and sing with us? Please drop us a line!